Delivery of made-to-order food is typically accomplished by delivery drivers (driving automobiles or riding bicycles) hired by a restaurant or delivery service. A delivery driver may deliver made-to-order food for multiple restaurants, while a restaurant may use multiple delivery drivers. The delivery time of an order is affected by a number of factors, such as the time that the serving restaurant of the order takes to prepare the order. Restaurants generally try to prepare food as soon as they can to satisfy their diners. A restaurant usually prepares its orders based on the reception time, from the first to the last, of the orders. However, neither the restaurant nor a restaurant service including the restaurant provides a way for a diner to selectively expedite the preparation of her order.
The delivery time of the order is also affected by the time between when the order is ready for delivery and when a delivery driver takes the order on a delivery trip. This time is determined by how fast the restaurant or delivery service finds a delivery driver for the order. Oftentimes, a restaurant uses certain delivery drivers. When none of the delivery drivers are immediately available to deliver the order, the restaurant is forced to wait until one of the delivery drivers becomes available to deliver the order. In particular, neither the restaurant nor delivery service can typically find a delivery driver who can deliver the order and deliver it within a certain time frame, if all of the restaurant's or delivery service's usual drivers are handling other orders.
Furthermore, the delivery time of the order is affected by the number of orders assigned to particular delivery trip, as well as the order in which a delivery driver delivers the orders. Delivery drivers generally follow delivery routes and deliver orders in predetermined orders or sequences, such as delivering the order with the address closest to the driver's restaurant or base first, or delivering an order designated by a restaurant manager as “important” first. However, diners sometimes desire to have their orders delivered earlier than a time dictated by the delivery route and sequence. The conventional delivery method does not provide an efficient way for diners to reduce the delivery time of her order.